Polyol-Assisted Synthesis of Ni/Cu/Ag Trimetallic Nanoparticles for Nonlinear Optical Applications.

Trimetallic nanoparticles (TMNPs) have opened a broad spectrum of applications with a new class of materialistic combinations in several fields from electronics to medicinal and environmental applications. In this work, we report the synthesis and characterization of Ni/Cu/Ag TMNPs using the polyol method and their nonlinear optical (NLO) studies. A broad surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak at 443 nm evidences the formation of the Ni/Cu/Ag TMNPs with a peak shift compared to their mono- or bimetallic counterparts.

Role of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on change in macular volume postcataract surgery in diabetic eyes: A retrospective comparative study.

Context: Diabetic eyes suffer from variety of complications including macular edema. Cataract surgery is the most commonly done procedure throughout the world and majority would be diabetics. As pseudophakic-cystoid macular edema (CME) is a known complication following cataract surgery, our study concentrated on finding the role of prophylactic topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on change in total macular volume (TMV) postcataract surgery in diabetic eyes.

Enhanced surface colonisation and competition during bacterial adaptation to a fungus.

Bacterial-fungal interactions influence microbial community performance of most ecosystems and elicit specific microbial behaviours, including stimulating specialised metabolite production. Here, we use a co-culture experimental evolution approach to investigate bacterial adaptation to the presence of a fungus, using a simple model of bacterial-fungal interactions encompassing the bacterium Bacillus subtilis and the fungus Aspergillus niger. We find in one evolving population that B.

Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) Inhibitors: Harms or Unexpected Benefits?

There is a need for innovative pharmaceutical intervention in light of the increasing prevalence of metabolic disease and cardiovascular disease. The kidneys' sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2) receptors are targeted to reduce glucose reabsorption by SGLT2. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) benefit the most from reduced blood glucose levels, although this is just one of the numerous physiological consequences.

Women empowerment through involvement in community-based health and nutrition interventions: Evidence from a qualitative study in India.

Women's empowerment is fundamental for realizing unalienable human rights and is vital to sustainable development outcomes. In India, the SWABHIMAAN intervention program was an integrated multi-sectoral strategy to improve girls' and women's nutrition before conception, during pregnancy, and after childbirth. This study assesses the role of self-help-group (SHGs) in improving the effectiveness of community health interventions and its impact on their self-empowerment.

Impact of Pneumococcal and Viral Pneumonia on the Respiratory and Intestinal Tract Microbiomes of Mice.

With 2.56 million deaths worldwide annually, pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death. The most frequent causative pathogens are Streptococcus pneumoniae and influenza A virus.

Primary Retroperitoneal Smooth Muscle Tumor of Uncertain Malignant Potential (STUMP): A Diagnostic Enigma.

Retroperitoneal sarcomas represent a group of rare malignant neoplasms with complex clinical management and often a poor prognosis. An elderly male presented with a slowly progressive, right-sided abdominal lump for four months associated with loss of appetite and abdominal discomfort. Abdominal examination revealed an apparent retroperitoneal lump in the right lumbar and umbilical region, which was well-defined, and firm in consistency with the bosselated surface.

Deficiency Enhances Sensitivity to α-Synuclein and Oxidative Stress in Models of Parkinson Disease.

Parkinson disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative condition affecting people predominantly at old age that is characterized by a progressive loss of midbrain dopaminergic neurons and by the accumulation of α-synuclein-containing intraneuronal inclusions known as Lewy bodies. Defects in cellular degradation processes such as the autophagy-lysosomal pathway are suspected to be involved in PD progression. The mammalian Lysosomal-associated membrane proteins LAMP1 and LAMP2 are transmembrane glycoproteins localized in lysosomes and late endosomes that are involved in autophagosome/lysosome maturation and function.

Mono- and Bimetallic Nanoparticles for Catalytic Degradation of Hazardous Organic Dyes and Antibacterial Applications.

In the present work, gold (Au), silver (Ag), and copper (Cu) based mono- and bimetallic NPs are prepared using a cost-effective facile wet chemical route. The pH for the synthesis is optimized in accordance with the optical spectra and supported by the finite difference time domain simulation studies. FESEM and TEM micrographs are used to analyze the morphology of the prepared nanoparticles.

Quantitative Analysis of Apoptosis and Necrosis in Live Cells Using Flow Cytometry.

Apoptosis and necrosis are the two sides of the cell death penumbra. Apoptosis is a well-studied model of cell death wherein the cell destroys itself employing a predefined form of active signaling without the release of soluble cytoplasmic contents to the external environment. Compared to apoptosis, necrosis is a nonspecific form of sudden cell death in response to an invasive external stimulus which in turn is devoid of active programmed intracellular signaling leading to the sudden release of the soluble cellular contents consequent to the rupture of the cell membrane.

Training and Profiling a Pediatric Facial Expression Classifier for Children on Mobile Devices: Machine Learning Study.

Background: Implementing automated facial expression recognition on mobile devices could provide an accessible diagnostic and therapeutic tool for those who struggle to recognize facial expressions, including children with developmental behavioral conditions such as autism. Despite recent advances in facial expression classifiers for children, existing models are too computationally expensive for smartphone use.

Objective: We explored several state-of-the-art facial expression classifiers designed for mobile devices, used posttraining optimization techniques for both classification performance and efficiency on a Motorola Moto G6 phone, evaluated the importance of training our classifiers on children versus adults, and evaluated the models' performance against different ethnic groups.

Procoagulant Activity of Blood and Microvesicles Is Disturbed by Pneumococcal Pneumolysin, Which Interacts with Coagulation Factors.

The coagulation and contact systems are parts of the innate immune system as they prevent bleeding and dissemination of pathogens and also contribute to microbial killing by inflammatory reactions and the release of antimicrobial peptides. Here, we investigated the influence of Streptococcus pneumoniae on the coagulation and contact system. S.

Lamp1 mediates lipid transport, but is dispensable for autophagy in .

The endolysosomal system not only is an integral part of the cellular catabolic machinery that processes and recycles nutrients for synthesis of biomaterials, but also acts as signaling hub to sense and coordinate the energy state of cells with growth and differentiation. Lysosomal dysfunction adversely influences vesicular transport-dependent macromolecular degradation and thus causes serious problems for human health. In mammalian cells, loss of the lysosome associated membrane proteins LAMP1 and LAMP2 strongly affects autophagy and cholesterol trafficking.

Innate immune responses at the asymptomatic stage of influenza A viral infections of Streptococcus pneumoniae colonized and non-colonized mice.

Seasonal Influenza A virus (IAV) infections can promote dissemination of upper respiratory tract commensals such as Streptococcus pneumoniae to the lower respiratory tract resulting in severe life-threatening pneumonia. Here, we aimed to compare innate immune responses in the lungs of healthy colonized and non-colonized mice after IAV challenge at the initial asymptomatic stage of infection. Responses during a severe bacterial pneumonia were profiled for comparison.

Bronchial Epithelial Cells Accumulate Citrate Intracellularly in Response to Pneumococcal Hydrogen Peroxide.

Community-acquired pneumonia is an infection of the lower respiratory tract caused by various viral and bacterial pathogens, including influenza A virus (IAV), , and . To understand the disease pathology, it is important to delineate host metabolic responses to an infection. In this study, metabolome profiling of mono- and coinfected human bronchial epithelial cells was performed.

The global proteome and ubiquitinome of bacterial and viral co-infected bronchial epithelial cells.

Viral infections facilitate bacterial trafficking to the lower respiratory tract resulting in bacterial-viral co-infections. Bacterial dissemination to the lower respiratory tract is enhanced by influenza A virus induced epithelial cell damage and dysregulation of immune responses. Epithelial cells act as a line of defense and detect pathogens by a high variety of pattern recognition receptors.

Hydrogen Peroxide Is Crucial for NLRP3 Inflammasome-Mediated IL-1β Production and Cell Death in Pneumococcal Infections of Bronchial Epithelial Cells.

Epithelial cells play a crucial role in detection of the pathogens as well as in initiation of the host immune response. Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a typical colonizer of the human nasopharynx, which can disseminate to the lower respiratory tract and subsequently cause severe invasive diseases such as pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is produced by pneumococci as a product of the pyruvate oxidase SpxB.

Comparison of ringer's lactate and plasmalyt-a as cardiopulmonary bypass prime for bypass associated acidosis in valve replacement surgeries.

Introduction: A wide range of acid base fluctuations are seen during Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and the development of metabolic acidosis is well recognized. We conducted a study tocompare the metabolic effects of Ringer lactate and Plasmalyte-A as CPB prime in causing bypass associated acidosis in valve replacement surgeries.

Methods: We performed a prospective, randomized controlled study on a total of 80 adult patients undergoing CPB for valvular heart surgeries.

Maheshvara regulates JAK/STAT signaling by interacting and stabilizing hopscotch transcripts which leads to apoptosis in Drosophila melanogaster.

Maheshvara (mahe), an RNA helicase that is widely conserved across taxa, regulates Notch signaling and neuronal development in Drosophila. In order to identify novel components regulated by mahe, transcriptome profiling of ectopic mahe was carried out and this revealed striking upregulation of JAK/STAT pathway components like upd1, upd2, upd3, and socs36E. Further, significant downregulation of the pathway components in mahe loss-of-function mutant as well as upon lowering the level of mahe by RNAi, supported and strengthened our transcriptome data.

The Role of NLRP3 Inflammasome in Pneumococcal Infections.

Inflammasomes are innate immune sensors that regulate caspase-1 mediated inflammation in response to environmental, host- and pathogen-derived factors. The NLRP3 inflammasome is highly versatile as it is activated by a diverse range of stimuli. However, excessive or chronic inflammasome activation and subsequent interleukin-1β (IL-1β) release are implicated in the pathogenesis of various autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and diabetes.

Adenosine Triphosphate Neutralizes Pneumolysin-Induced Neutrophil Activation.

Background: In tissue infections, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is released into extracellular space and contributes to purinergic chemotaxis. Neutrophils are important players in bacterial clearance and are recruited to the site of tissue infections. Pneumococcal infections can lead to uncontrolled hyperinflammation of the tissue along with substantial tissue damage through excessive neutrophil activation and uncontrolled granule release.

16HBE Cell Lipid Mediator Responses to Mono and Co-Infections with Respiratory Pathogens.

Respiratory tract infections are a global health problem. The main causative agents of these infections are influenza A virus (IAV), ( ), and ( ). Major research focuses on genetics and immune responses in these infections.

Maheshvara, a Conserved RNA Helicase, Regulates Notch Signaling in Drosophila melanogaster.

Gene expression is regulated at multiple steps after generation of primary RNA transcripts, including mRNA processing, stability, and transport, along with co- and post-transcriptional regulation. These processes are controlled via the involvement of a multitude of RNA binding proteins (RBPs). Innumerable human diseases have been associated with altered expression of RNA binding proteins.

Combover interacts with the axonemal component Rsp3 and is required for sperm individualization.

Gamete formation is key to survival of higher organisms. In male animals, spermatogenesis gives rise to interconnected spermatids that differentiate and individualize into mature sperm, each tightly enclosed by a plasma membrane. In , individualization of sister spermatids requires the formation of specialized actin cones that synchronously move along the sperm tails, removing inter-spermatid bridges and most of the cytoplasm.